Nice tracksuit, Comrade! Fidel Castro sports Adidas as he meets Francois Hollande
- Fidel Castro donned sportswear for historic meeting with French President
- Francois Hollande is the first western leader to visit Cuba since 1980s
- Meeting underlined the warming of ties between Cuba and the West
- US is set to take Cuba off the terror blacklist by the end of the month
Fidel Castro was rarely out of his military uniform when he was in power, but retirement has seen the former communist leader adopt a more casual approach.
The 88-year-old, who led the Cuban revolution and ruled the country for almost half a century, donned a black and white Adidas tracksuit for the historic hour long encounter with the French President.
Francois Hollande,who is the first western leader to visit the island since the 1980s, chose a sharp suit for the talks, which were also attended by Cuba's president Raul Castro.
Keeping it casual: Fidel Castro donned a black and white Adidas tracksuit as he met the French President in Havana
Mr Castro, 88, who led the Cuban revolution and ruled the country for almost half a century, is known for wearing his military uniform. Pictured: Fidel Castro in 2006.
President Castro, who is Fidel's younger brother, announced his country will exchange ambassadors with the United States once Cuba is removed from the US blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism later this month.
Castro said conversations on the countries' historic move to renew diplomatic ties were 'going well,' and that the process would advance after the expiration of a 45-day period - on May 29 - for the US Congress to oppose President Barack Obama's plan to remove Cuba from the blacklist.
'In 45 days, which expires on May 29, that accusation will be lifted and we will be able to have, to name ambassadors,' he said.
Historic: President Hollande, pictured talking to Castro, was the first western leader to visit Cuba since the 1980s
Mr Hollande is the first French President to visit the island in more than 100 years
He made the remarks after seeing off French President Francois Hollande, whose landmark visit to Havana underlined the warming ties between Cuba and the West.
But Castro said restoring full US-Cuban relations could only happen after Washington lifts the trade embargo it has imposed on Cuba since 1962, which Havana calls 'the blockade,' and hands back sovereignty over Guantanamo Bay, where the US has a permanent lease on a naval base.
Naming ambassadors will 'extend our relations, but normalizing relations is another matter - the complete blockade has to be eliminated and the Guantanamo base must be returned,' he said.
Obama notified Congress last month of his intention to take Cuba off the terror blacklist, a key point in the countries' negotiations on restoring ties.
US lawmakers now have 45 days to object to the move.
The meeting underlined the warming of ties between Cuba and western nations of the world
Mr Hollande spent around an hour with the former revolutionary who ruled the country for almost half a century
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